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Our first family vacation with Jack is coming up. I am extremely nervous about being away from home for multiple days and nights with Jack. I’m worried that he will have frequent meltdowns and freak outs, and infrequent periods of eating and sleeping.

Did anyone else experience this type of anxiety about an upcoming vacation with a little one? How did your trip turn out? Do you have any wisdom to share?

Thank you 🙂 ❤

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On Saturday, the three of us (my Husband, Jack, and Myself) had our first overnight adventure at Great Aunt Elaine’s house. My Husband and I knew from previous adventures how much Jack loved to come Home after a long day of socialization and stimulation. So we were a little apprehensive as we approached our first night away from home with Jack.
Jack was good as gold the whole 2-hour drive to Great Auntie’s house. We even made a pit stop at Jack in The Box for some cheeseburgers and fries.

Jack loved interacting with everyone at his Great Auntie’s, and exploring a friendly new environment. He played with his toy cars and toddled around the house and backyard. His cousin Marlene gave him the book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and a plushy of the mouse from the story. Both such sweet and wonderful gifts. Jack loves his Great Auntie’s backyard. It’s full of pretty things. Plenty of flowers and rocks, wind chimes and pinwheels. Unfortunately, it was so hot we couldn’t spend as much time playing outside as we had wanted to, but we did manage to sneak in a trip to the park.

At dinner, Jack didn’t eat much. He’s been very picky about eating ever since his molars started coming in. He is by no means going hungry, as he will eat certain things, it’s just he used to eat anything and everything, and he’s being very selective at the moment.

Jack was charming and full of energy well past 9 pm. A little after 10 pm we all turned in for the night. Jack settled into his porta crib and Hubby and I relaxed on the bed with some television. It took Jack a little while, but once he realized we were staying the night, he lost it. He completely broke down a little after 11 pm. He was in tears well into the wee hours of the morning. We were up and down every hour and a half or so. I took Jack outside at one point to look up at the stars. Thankfully it was warm enough to be out there, because he calmed down right away. Everyone was so worried that something was wrong. They thought he was ill. It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He went from one extreme to the other. At one point my Husband wanted to pack up and leave in the middle of the night, we felt so bad for the disruption. I explained that Jack was just homesick and summoned my best mommy mojo to keep him just under hysterical until he finally passed out at around 4 am. When Jack woke up at around 8:45 am, Hyde was gone, and Jekyll had returned.

We spent the rest of the morning there. Cousin Marlene and Great Auntie Elaine made us the most wonderful breakfast. Jack ate a few pieces of bacon and played some more, he even took a nap in his Great Auntie’s arms, which was very sweet. A little after 1 pm we braved the 100-degree weather and hit the road. Jack was good as gold the whole drive home also. Bless his little heart.

The minute we pulled into our driveway and turned off the car, Jack looked all around and his eyes grew wide as he immediately realized we were Home. He played with his Grammy, he played with his toys, he had a little something to eat, he took a long late afternoon nap, he played outside with the dogs and cats, he toddled around, we read books, and played peek a boo, and he finally went to bed around 9 pm, and slept right thru the night.

All and All I’d say it was a successful adventure. We had a wonderful visit with everybody. Hopefully, the next time we spend the night away from home, Jack will understand what’s happening, and he won’t get so homesick.